Tesco bag used to restrain woman before rape and murder in Waterlooville
Stephen Sexton, 39, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of raping and murdering his partner Joanna Derkacz in December 2023.
Controlling partner accused of raping and killing girlfriend in Hampshire home
A "jealous" man used a Tesco shopping bag to restrain his partner before raping and murdering her after she tried to end their relationship, Winchester Crown Court has heard.
Stephen Sexton, 39, of Cherrywood Gardens, Totton, Hampshire, is standing trial accused of killing Joanna Derkacz, 37, at her home in Nevison Way, Waterlooville, in the early hours of 28 December 2023. He denies rape, murder, and coercive or controlling behaviour.
According to bbc.co.uk, prosecutors described the relationship as toxic and abusive, marked by jealousy and controlling conduct.
Nicola Shannon KC, prosecuting, told the jury that Derkacz had confided in her sister Arleta that Sexton had once attempted to strangle her, though she had managed to push him away. He also smashed her mobile phone and laptop in fits of anger after she returned home 20 minutes late from seeing friends.
Following that incident, Derkacz sought shelter at a friend's house. Sexton then reported her missing to the police — a move that, the court heard, may have prompted her to ask him to leave the property.
On 11 December, two female officers visited the home on a welfare check. Derkacz told them her boyfriend was "very controlling" and "narcissistic". "He has this thing where he flips," she said.
The jury was told Sexton had previous convictions for assaulting his ex-wife and damaging her phone.
Post-mortem examinations found three broken bones in Derkacz's neck. Prosecutors said the injuries were consistent with being caused by an arm or the crook of an elbow. DNA evidence also indicated she had been sexually assaulted.
Derkacz's saliva was found inside the Tesco shopping bag discovered next to her bed. Sexton's fingerprints and saliva were identified on the outside of the bag.
Her body was found that morning by her sister Arleta, who had gone to the property after Derkacz stopped answering calls. Arleta encountered Sexton at the top of the stairs and, after pushing past him, found her sister's body in the bedroom.
She then ran downstairs to find Sexton in the kitchen holding a knife pointed at his own wrist. Arleta fled the house, screaming that he had killed her sister, while her husband dialled 999.
The trial is listed to run for 12 weeks.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)